By George & Josh Bate
Preparation is well underway for Star Wars Celebration Japan, which kicks off on April 18, 2025 and runs until April 20, 2025. Ahead of the massive Star Wars fan event, we’ve put together a guide of tips and tricks to make the most of this year’s Celebration. Whether this is your first Celebration or you’re a Celebration regular, check out some of our suggestions below….
Reserve a Spot in the Lightspeed Lane to shop at the official Celebration Store
On Thursday March 13 at 4:00 PM PDT / Friday March 14 at 8:00am JST, Lightspeed Lane reservations open for ticket holders to book their entry to the official Star Wars Celebration Store. Each Celebration, the store includes exclusive merchandise that can only be bought at Star Wars Celebration.
In order to enter the store though, you’ll need to reserve a space. This year, reservations for the store and panels (which we’ll get to in a minute) look a bit different. First, if you purchased Celebration tickets for a friend or family member, you need to transfer those tickets to their email address before making a reservation. You cannot make reservations for them. Head to swcj25.com/tickettransfer to transfer tickets. Make sure to log onto showclix.com/my-tickets and accept any tickets transferred to you so that you’re all set to go when Lightspeed Lane reservations open. When the time comes, head over to the official Star Wars Celebration site to join the queue and reserve a spot in line for the show store.
Prioritize Attending the Major Panels at Celebration Japan By Reserving a Seat
The big panels are the highlight of Star Wars Celebration and should be at the top of every fan’s priority list heading into the convention. In the past few years, attendance to the major panels has been determined by a lottery system, but, for Celebration Japan, a new panel reservation system is in place.
The above details about ensuring that your Celebration tickets you purchased for others are transferred to other email addresses holds true for panel reservations, which open on March 25 at 4:00 PM PDT / March 26 at 8:00AM JST.
For more information about the major panels at Star Wars Celebration Japan, click here.
Fans can make one panel reservation per day. This means that fans can only choose one of the two panels available on Saturday April 19 (either the Andor Season 2 panel or the Ahsoka Season 2 panel). As the panels will unfold live in-person on the Celebration Stage and will be streamed onto the Galaxy Stage and Twin Suns Stage, it is unclear currently if fans will be able to select which stage they wish to watch the panel on or if this will be auto-selected based on remaining availability.
Consider the Possibility of an Andor Screening or Red Carpet Premiere
At Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022, fans attending the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase were invited back to the event in the evening for the red carpet premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi. At Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, fans attending the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase were invited back to the event in the evening for an early screening of an episode of The Mandalorian. With Andor Season 2 premiering on Disney+ on April 22, many (including us) are keeping our fingers crossed that attendees to Saturday’s Andor panel will have the chance to attend an early screening or even the red carpet premiere of the new series. If this is of interest to you, prioritize reserving a spot in the Andor Season 2 panel on Saturday. Remember, there are two major panels on Saturday – Andor Season 2 and Ahsoka Season 2 – but fans can only reserve a spot for one of them.
Move Autograph and Photo Op Times If Possible
Star Wars Celebration Japan features a whole host of exciting celebrity guests, who will offer autograph and photo op opportunities. Currently, if you purchased an autograph or photo op, you have a reservation for a specific day but not time. Closer to the convention, autograph and photo op times will be assigned to you, which may conflict with other Celebration plans. Thankfully, pending availability, there is an opportunity to move your autograph and photo op times.
Pick Up Your Badge Early (If You Can)
Badges can be picked up at the registration booths in Hall 9. Although the convention only runs from Friday to Sunday, you can pick your badge up beginning on Tuesday at 10am. If you can, we’d recommend making a trip to the convention center and picking up your badge a day or so earlier than your first day at Celebration.
Registration hours at Star Wars Celebration Japan are as follows….
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Thursday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Friday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sunday: 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
The badge art for Star Wars Celebration Japan is designed by Japanese artist TAKUMI and is simply breathtaking. Take a look at a full HD gallery of all 17 pieces of badge art here.
Bring a Folder or Protective Sleeve for Autographs and Photo Ops
With the purchase of an autograph or photo op, you are given a free high quality print out. However, this does not include any way to protect your recent purchase. While you can purchase protective sleeves at the event, we recommend bringing your own (in addition to a folder to hold them in) to save money and ensure your autographs and photo ops don’t get damaged.
Enjoy Japan!
Each Star Wars Celebration offers a unique opportunity to enjoy a part of the world you may have little exposure to. The previous Celebration was held in London, which gave an opportunity to many Star Wars fans to explore one of the world’s most sprawling and interesting cities. This year’s Celebration marks only the second time the convention has been held in Japan (the first being in 2008). As such, there’s no guarantee when (if ever) another Celebration will be held here.
If you’re originally from another country and making the journey to Japan for Celebration, we recommend making the most of your trip. Tokyo is the largest city on Earth, with a population of over 37 million. That’s four times the population of NYC! In this city of millions, there are so many different things to explore and enjoy. Budget permitting, try to carve out a few days before or after Celebration to visit places like the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Tokyo Disneyland, teamLab Planets TOKYO, Shibuya Crossing (which is the world’s busiest intersection), and the iconic temple Senso-ji. While you’re there, be adventurous and try food you’ve never experienced before too!
Leave Early Each Day
Regardless of whether you have a reservation to a major panel or have access through your Jedi Master VIP ticket, it’s key to arrive to each day of Star Wars Celebration as early as you can. Minutes can quickly turn into hours waiting for the initial crowds to enter the convention center, so you’d rather be safe than sorry.
Bring a Backpack and Pack Snacks & Reusable Water Bottles
You’ll want to stay hydrated during the long days of walking at the convention. Unfortunately, water bottles are expensive and also can take up a lot of time to get due to the lengthy lines at kiosks and restaurants. We recommend packing a reusable water bottle for the day. The convention center should have refilling stations to keep topping up during the day. In a similar vain, pack some snacks in case you’re hungry!
Bring a Mask
Big crowds gather for Star Wars Celebration and, if you’re sick or would feel more comfortable, bring a mask to wear just in case.
Take Time for the Experiential Side of Star Wars Celebration
One of the highlights of Star Wars Celebration 2022 in Anaheim was The Mandalorian Experience (you can see a full description and photo gallery here). Take advantage of any experiences at this year’s Star Wars Celebration to engage with Star Wars in a more hands-on manner. Go to the terrific Art Show. Take pictures with cosplayers. Pose in front of the massive vehicles on display. And, if there’s a repeat of The Mandalorian Experience, make sure to line up and attend – it’s worth the wait in line.
Budget Carefully
Between tickets, photo ops, autographs, merchandise, food, and more, Star Wars Celebration can be a costly venture. We recommend budgeting carefully as you head into the convention to know how much money you’re comfortable spending.
Follow Star Wars Holocron for Live Updates
As with previous Star Wars Celebrations, Star Wars Holocron will be providing minute-by-minute live updates of all the breaking news at the convention. This will include live posts of the panels and tons of cool photos of the event. Follow us on Twitter/X, BlueSky, or Threads and also follow our coverage on our website TheHoloFiles.com.
Ask Convention Staff for Help
When in doubt, ask Celebration staff for help. Our experience has been overwhelmingly positive with staff members working the event, and they’re usually more than happy to provide directions or answer a quick question.
Be Kind and Respectful
It can quickly become overwhelming with the crowds at Star Wars Celebration, and manners often go out the window unfortunately. Please make attending the convention a positive experience for everyone by being respectful of others. Cosplay is not consent, don’t cut in line, and say “Hello there!” to your fellow Star Wars fans.